Bun & Mi — Restaurant in Santa Monica

Delicious and filling bánh mì sandwiches! Ran by a beautiful couple, Alvin and Pamela, who were very nice and proactive while we were there. They were very generous to every customer there and proactively checked in to see if there was anything they could get them or if there was feedback for the kitchen.

These are among the best banh mi that you can find on the WestLA, and even more true for this area. We had the Saigon grilled chicken banh mi, shaken beef banh mi, agave shaken green tea, and the chai seed blueberry lemonade. All of it was very delicious, but would get the grilled chicken over the shaken beef as the grilled chicken is more flavorful.

The sandwiches were big, we could have shared 1 between the two of us. The bread was the star of the show - nice and crispy with very good flavor. Alvin said they get them freshly made everyday from a local bakery.

The chai seed blueberry lemonade was great, but a little on the sweeter side.

The agave shaken green tea was perfect. Not too sweet and didn’t have an overpowering tea flavor.

5/5 - will be...

I can't believe I am only just now finding out about this spot! 😃 😋

We ate a Chicken Bánh mì and it was just perfect. The Baguette was crispy yet moist inside, and the flavors were perfectly balanced overall! The first note that hit me was lemongrass in the chicken, but it was subtle! I could immediately tell that every aspect of this sandwich was deliberate and planned, all the way down to the sizes and shapes of the vegetables. Clearly, the chef understands the importance of texture and ratios.

We also ate the vegetarian spring rolls which were super fresh and delicious! The peanut sauce was well balanced, not too sweet or salty, so we were able to enjoy the flavors in the spring roll combined with the peanut sauce.

It's always a treat to find a place that takes food this seriously, and it is only made better by Alvin's cheerful demeanor, and I think he could tell we were excited to try the food.

We're absolutely going back for more, next time for a proper dinner. The dishes all...

The server was so sweet and attentive and the space is airy and cozy at the same time.

BUT. The food was upsetting. There is no way the hard, dry, overseasoned, gristled chunks of beef are Filet Mignon as listed on the menu. They really had to try to make it so unappetizing. The noodles in the pho were overcooked and breaking apart as soon as it hit the table. The broth was so watery and flavorless, I would have added anything to it for flavor. Even hoisin sauce would have been an improvement, which they didn’t have. There was an up charge for EVERYTHING. $2 for dark meat instead of white meat. +3 for noodles… in a noodle bowl. I don’t know if they are trying to cater to the area but it was bad.

For below average quality, 1 CHICKEN pho and 1 beef vermicelli bowl and tip, our bill was $67.34. It’s a joke.

I’m always rooting for restaurants to succeed and I hope you can turn the food around to match. Better quality...